Means facilitating combined abstracting and billing.



F. W. GROBY. MEANS mun/mus comsmso ABSTRACTING AND mums. APPLICATIONHLED AUG-I5, I908- 1,l'?',315;, 1 Patented Apr. 4,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- F W. GROBY. MEANS FACILITATING COMBINED ABSTRACTINGAND BILLING APPLICATION FILED AUG. l5| 1908.

F W. GROBY. MEANS'FACILITATING COMBINED ABSTRACTING AND BILLING. Y

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I5, 190B.

Patented Apr. 4,1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, I908.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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, vance charges,

FREDERICK W. GROBY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR '10 ELLIOTT-FISHERCOMPANY, OEHARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MEANS FACILITATING COMBINED ABSTRACTING AND BILLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed August 15, 1908. Serial No. 448,715.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. GRoBY, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at New York, in the county of New Yorkand State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MeansFacilitating Combined Abstracting and Billing, of which the following isa specification.

The invention relates to means whereby billing in general, but moreparticularly express waybilling and abstracting may be facilitated. Itmay be stated by way of premise that in express waybilling it is usualto employ bill sheets comprising a number of separably connectedindividual bills upon each of which a series of entries are made in asingle line, these entries denoting for instance the character of thearticle billed, its value, from whom it is received, to whom it isaddressed, its destination, weight, ad-

charges to be collected, total to be collected, the place to which it isbilled, etc. It is also customary by a separate operation to prepare anabstract sheet upon which appear the various entries made on the severalbills. v

The object of my invention is to devise means whereby the billing andabstracting may be simultaneously accomplished notwithstanding the factthat the entries on the bill sheets are widely separated and those onthe abstract sheet closely condensed.

To the accomplishment of this object, I provide an abstract sheetproperly subdivided to provide series of condensed entries and havingfile holes which maybe slipped over the studs of a bill holder withwhich billing machines are commonly equipped. In addition to thisabstract sheet I provide a series of bill sheets each including aplurality of bill forms and having file holes designed to aline withthose of the abstract sheet, the file holes in the several bill sheetsbeing difierently located on said sheets so that when the bill sheetsare placed on the studs in succession they will overlie the abstractsheet in progressive positions to the end that as entries are made onsuccessive bill sheets they will be transferred in condensed arrangementto the abstract sheet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard sheet havinggraduated file holes and a series of transverse slots whereby said sheetmay be positioned on the studs in correspondence to the position of anyone of the bill sheets and arranged, when so positioned, to permit thetransference of a single line of entry from a bill to the abstract sheetand prevent the transference of another or'other lines of entries whichit may be desired to make on the bill sheets without transference to theabstract sheet. In the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 1s a new of anabstract sheet to which the condensed record has been transferred. Fig.2 is a view of one of the bill sheets showing the manner in which aseries of widely separated single line entries are entered. Fig. 3 is adiagrammatic view showing a portion of each of a series of bill sheetsarranged in alinement to illustrate the manner in which the file or studholes are graduated. Fig. 4 is a similar diagrammatic view but showingthe file holes on the several sheets arranged in alinement for thepurpose of illustrating how the sheets are disposed in progressivepositions as theyare secured to the same studs which retain the abstractsheet. Fig. 5 is a View showing a portion of a bill broken away todisclose the underlying guard sheet imposed upon a carbon sheet which isin turn imposed upon the abstract sheet, this view being designed moreparticularly to illustrate the guard sheet and to make clear its mannerof use, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the subject-matter ofFig. 5.

Each feature of construction and arrangementis designated by the samereference character wherever shown.

- 1 indicates the abstract sheet which is suitably ruled to receive acondensed record of express business transacted at a given oflice or fora given period. This ruling preferably consists of groups 2, 8, 4; and 5of transverse lines 6, preferably arranged ten in a group so that eachgroup is adapted to receive ten single line entries, the entry lines orspaces being successively numbered adjacent to the right hand edge ofthe sheet, as indicated at 7.

The members 7 indicate the respective lines of entry and correspond tothe numbers of the bills to be described. In addition to the transverseruling the abstract sheet 1 is subdivided by vertical lines intovertical columns which are suitably designated by a line of designations8 extending along the upper edge of the sheet 1. The particularsignificance of these designations will vary in accordance with theparticular Work in hand, but, in the example given these designationsrelate to express business and indicate the character of the package,its value, From whom received, To whom addressed, Destination, Weight,Advance charges, Our charges, Total to collect, Prepaid and Billed to.

.At one edge of the sheet 1, preferably the right hand edge, as shown,the sheet is provided with spaced file holes or stud holes 9, utilizedfor the binding of abstract sheets after the preparation thereof andemployed during the billing and abstracting operation as retaining meansfor the sheet, that is to say, these holes 9 receive a pair of studswhich project from a suitable support, as for instance the bill holderof a well known billing machine. Each bill sheet 10 is subdivided bytransverse weakening lines 11 into a series of bills 12, 13, 14 and 15,each 'of which has in practice a single line of designations 16 and aline of entry 17, the lines of entry on the several bills of a sheetcorresponding in relative position to corresponding lines of entry inthe several groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the charge sheet 1. For instance, inFig. 2 of the drawings is illustrated the first bill sheet. This sheetwhen placed over the abstract sheet 1 will present the several entrylines 17 on the bills 12, 13, 14 and 15 opposite the uppermost entryline of each group on the sheet 1, so that as the four entries on thefirst bill sheet are made out, these entries will be transferred to thefirst or uppermost entry line of each of the groups 2, 3, 4 and 5. Thebill sheets 10 are provided with file holes 18 designed to alinewith theholes9 in the abstract sheet. It will therefore appear that eachsuccessive bill sheet may be dropped down one line on the abstract sheetby properly locating the file holes 18 in graduated arrangementthroughout a series of bill sheets. Thus in Fig. 3 a series of ten billsheets are indicated and it will be seen that the file holes 18 thereinoccupy graduated positions. Therefore, when the file holes of successivebill sheets are brought in alinement with the file holes of the chargesheet it will be seen that each successive bill sheet is dropped downone line so that the lines of entry thereon will be transferred to theabstract sheet just below the lines of entry previously trans ferred tothe abstract sheet from the preceding bill sheet, the result being thatwhile the widely spaced entries are being made on the successive billsheets, the same entries will be transferred to the charge sheet iricondensed form.

It sometimes happens that it is desirable to write other data on theindividual bills. That is to say, in addition to the line of entry ofwhich an abstract is desired, it

may be desirable to write in other data which should not be transferredto the abstract .sheet. To make such additional entries possible withouttransference I provide an interference or guard sheet 19 pro-- videdwith transverse slots 20 spaced apart by intervals corresponding to thespacing of the lines of entry on the several bills of a bill sheet. Thisguard sheet is imposed upon the carbon or transfer sheet 21 utilized inthe usual way to transfer the entries from the bill sheets to theabstract sheet. It will thus be seen that when the usual entries causethe guard sheet is of non-transferring material, as for instancecomparatively stiff paper board. It will be noted, however, that assuccessive bill sheets occupy successive positions relative to theabstract sheet, it is necessary that the guard sheet be capable ofoccupying successive positions in order that the slots therein may alinewith the lines of entry of any bill sheet.

To provide for this variable positioning of the guard sheet, the latteris provided with two series 22 and 23 of file or stud holes 24, the billsheets being preferably numbered successively and corresponding numbersbe ing placed opposite the holes in the guard sheet. Corresponding holes24 of the respective series are separated by the same interval whichseparates the holes 9 in the abstract sheet 01' the holes 18 in a billsheet, and the separation of the respective holes of 'each series 22 and23 corresponds to the graduation of the holes in the respective billsheets. Therefore, the guard sheet 19 is equipped with a pair of holes.appropriated to and corresponding with the holes in the respective billsheets so that the guard sheet may be used in connection with any billsheet by merely placing the proper holes over the studs.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have devised a simple,inexpensive and convenient arrangement whereby express waybilling andcondensed abstracting or analogous processes may be accomplishedsimultaneously and with only that expenditure of time and labor which isrequired for bill ing or abstracting alone. It will also be noted thatwhile the described means is particularly adapted for abstracting andbilling in connection with a flat platen billing machine, its utility isin no way dependent upon the particular instrumentality employed for themaking of the record, as it is immaterial whether the entries are madeby a typewriter, pen, pencil, stylus, or other record making medium.

It is thought that from the foregoing, the construction, arrangement andadvantages of my invention will be clearly apparent, out I wish toreserve the right to efiect such changes or variations of theillustrated construction and arrangement as may come fairly within thescope of the protection prayed.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a sheet having retaining means,of a series of bill sheets each having retaining means to register withthe retaining means of the first named sheet, the location of theretaining means of each bill sheet with respect to the area of saidsheet being different, whereby the registration of the retaining meansof difierent bill sheets with the retaining means of the ,first namedsheet will result in a different relative location of each bill sheetwith respect to the sheet first named.

2. The combination with a sheet having spaced stud holes, of a. seriesof bill sheets each having stud holes corresponding in spacing to thoseof the first named sheet, the holes of successive bill sheets occupyingprogressively different positions whereby when the holes of successivebill sheets are brought into coincidence with the holes of the sheetfirst named said bill sheets will occupy progressively differentpositions with respect to said first named sheet and transfer meanswhereby data written on the bill sheet will be transferred to the firstsheet named.

8. The combination with a sheet having rulings defining condensed recordspaces thereon, and stud holes, of a series of bill sheets having studholes, the holes in the respective bill sheets being difierently locatedto cause said bill sheets to assume successive positions with respect tothe first named sheet when the holes in said sheet and those in the billsheets are brought int-'0 coincidence, and said bill sheets havingweakening lines dividing said, sheets into individual bills and transfermeans whereby data written on a bill sheet will be transferred to thesheet first named.

at. The combination with a base or abstract sheet having stud holes, ofa series of bill sheets each having stud holes to register with theholes of the base sheet, the holes in the bill sheets beingprogressively located in relation to an edge of said bill sheets, aguard sheet having an openin to overlie the abstract sheet and adapte torestrict transfer of data written on the bill sheets to the abstractsheet, said guard sheet being provided with stud holes to register withthe holes of the base sheet and so 10- cated that an opening of theguard sheet may be alined with a restricted area of the abstract sheet,and transfer means whereby data written on a bill sheet will betransferred to the base or abstract sheet.

5. The combination with a sheet having groups of rulings and stud holes,of a series of bill sheets each having weakening lines dividing the billsheet into bills corresponding in spacing to the groups of rulings onthe sheet first named, each bill sheet having stud holes correspondingin spacing to the holes of the first named sheet and the holes ofsuccessive bill sheets occupying progres-. sively difierent positions,whereby when the holes of successive bill sheets are brought intocoincidence with the holes of the sheet first named said bill sheetswill occupy progressively different positions with respect to the firstnamed sheet, and transfer means whereby data printed on a bill sheetwill be transferred to the first named sheet.

6. In combination, a base sheet and a series of bill sheets, all of saidsheets being adapted to receive lines of writing and having stud holesin the same margin, said bill sheet being adapted for successive use inconnection with the base sheet and each having its stud holes arrangedto coincide with the file holes of the base sheet, the stud holes in therespective bill sheets having a difierent location in said sheets tocause the respective bill sheets to occupy different positions withrespect to the base sheet when the stud holes of the bill sheets are incoincidence with the stud holesof the base sheet, and transfer meanswhereby data written on a bill sheet will be transferred to the base orabstract sheet.

7. The combination with a base or abstract sheet having definedrecording spaces arranged in groups, of a series of bill sheets, saidabstract and bill sheets being designed to receive lines of writing andhavin correspondingly spaced holes, the stud holes of each bill sheetbeing successively positioned to vary the relation of the bill sheetwith the abstract sheet, such variation causing the first line of eachbill sheet to overlie an advanced position in the writing area of theabstract sheet, and transfer means whereby data written on the billsheet will be transferred to the base or abstract sheet.

8. In combination, a. base sheet,'a guard sheet and a series of billsheets adapted to receive lines of writing and all of said sheets havingstud holes in the same margin, said bill sheet being adapted forsuccessive use in connection with the base sheet and each having itsholes arranged to coincide with the file holes of the base sheet, theholes in the respective bill sheets having a difi'erent locationwithrespect to the first writing line of said bill sheets to cause thefirst writing lines of the respective bill sheets mil lat

ice

sheet will be transferred to the base or abstract sheet.

9. The combination with a plurality of sheets each having openings forthe recep- 15 tion of studs, the openings in the respective sheets beinguniformly and correspondingly spaced but located differently in eachsheet, whereby each sheet will be differently located with respect tothe same studs engaged thereby.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK W. GROBY.

\Vitnesses W. L. DEECH, M. H. BEHR.

